The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-03-27
ADULTERATEp MILK.

The Social Science Association Of Pennsyl-
vania is urging the passage of law by the
Legislature of that State to prevent the adul-
seration of milk. The bill prohibits, under
penalty Of $50 for the first offense and 800
FOR the second, the sale of milk from swill-fed
cows the addition Of water or ice to milk
which is to be sold, and the removal of the
. cream from milk which is afterwards sold as
pure and whole milk, unless the words
SKINNED milk" be marked in letters an inch
high on the vessels containing the fluid. In
as required to take out license, the same to
BE forfeited in case he is detected in adulter
ating bis wares. A similar law has been in
force in New York for several years with such
satisfactory and beneficial results that persons
interested in the physical welfare Of the COM
munfty are pushing the matter elsewhere.
Indiana has, we believe, no special
law bearing on this subject but
the Board of Health has authority,
of any article affecting public health, to en-
force necessary rules for regulating the milk
traffic; and some years ago. after general ag-
itation of the question, this was done in this
city with considerable strictness. That these
regulations have been allowed to grow lax and
the dealer permitted to sell what he will as
''pure Jersey milk, an army Of unhappy Gus
toners will readily testify. 1t is probable
that indianapolis is served with little of the
swill-fed product of the dairy, but it is un-
. questionable that in buying so-called pure
milk the people pay for large proportion of
water, which, by the way, may or may not be
pure. This adulteration is accepted as such
matter Of course that the customer, even
though he grumble over the thin and cream
less fluid which he buys, makes no change in
his dealer believing that zone is as bad as
another" and fraud inevitable. It is the
common theory that the addition of water to
feet, pure water being harmless substance,
and the indignation of the purchaser arises
more from the fact that he is being swim
aled than the knowledge that any injury can
come from the use of the milk. That this is
incorrect is shown by the estimate of Phila-
delphia physician that out of every 5000 chill
dren who die, the deaths of at least ], 900 are
due to diseases of the digestive organs, and
want Of primary assimilation caused by i'm
pure milk. The milk may have in it no more
unhealthful adulteration than spring water
but child who can only take a certain
amount into its stomach cannot thrive and
grow strong on spring water. That this esti
mate is based upon facts is shown by the diff
ference in the death rate of children under
five years in New York city after the enforce
ment of the milk law, the decline in one yea
being from II, $40 to 1886.
1t may be seen from this that the either
who quietly submits to imposition by tn,
milkman is suffering not only in his pocket
but tacitly encourages an abuse which work
injury to the children of his neighbor, if no
his own. 1t is time the Board of Health an,
other city authorities investigated this matte
anew. and enforced stringent rules upon tn
seemingly ingenious, but deceitful and craft
dairymen.